This is a lie. It's simply not true. Grab any retail box of Snow Leopard, and you'll see it doesn't say ANYWHERE that it's an upgrade. Apple fanatics might think it is, but wishful thinking does not make it so.

I've bought more Mac OS X boxes than you can count, and not one of them has the word "upgrade" on it, and ALL of them install just fine on their own. Nor has any shop assistant ever informed me that it is, in fact, an upgrade. As such, I'm buying a normal piece of software, and I can do whatever the hell I want with it.

Grab any retail box of Snow Leopard, and you'll see it doesn't say ANYWHERE that it's an upgrade.

It doesn't matter if it says upgrade or not anyway. Once purchased it is no longer Apple's concern how it is used. If I can somehow make an "upgrade" set work without already owning OSX then that's Apple's problem for not designing it properly, not mine.
Funny how the IT industry always think they don't have to play by the same rules as all other industries that provide consumer products.

This is a lie. It's simply not true. Grab any retail box of Snow Leopard, and you'll see it doesn't say ANYWHERE that it's an upgrade. Apple fanatics might think it is, but wishful thinking does not make it so.

I've bought more Mac OS X boxes than you can count, and not one of them has the word "upgrade" on it, and ALL of them install just fine on their own. Nor has any shop assistant ever informed me that it is, in fact, an upgrade. As such, I'm buying a normal piece of software, and I can do whatever the hell I want with it. "

That is not a lie. The box does not say upgrade and it indeed does not force you to have 10.5 to install as a typical upgrade would have. I also realize that it does not say Upgrade on the package.

This is the point that took me a while to agree with but the fact of the matter is that ALL OS X RETAIL sets are upgrades as you are expected to have a Mac with some previous version of the OS that came with your Mac, even if the installer itself does not check for a previous version.

Further the order page on Apple's Site states:

"Snow Leopard is an upgrade for Leopard users and requires a Mac with an Intel processor."

This is the point that took me a while to agree with but the fact of the matter is that ALL OS X RETAIL sets are upgrades as you are expected to have a Mac with some previous version of the OS that came with your Mac, even if the installer itself does not check for a previous version.

And how am I supposed to know that? You seem to think that just because you say it's an upgrade, everybody should magically know and accept that. I'm sorry, but the law doesn't work that way. Nor the box, nor salesmen say it's an upgrade, and to make matters even more clear, it works as a full retail copy.